5 Earn Hall of Fame Honors

A peacemaker with AHJs, a champion of technologies and standards, a wizard of finance, a builder of the industry’s finest dealer program and a trade association luminary are elected into SSI’s Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement. Find out how they toppled challenges and maximized opportunity to excel where most fail.

“Someone told me good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. Some of the key lessons I have learned over the years came the hard way. The most important lesson is that the character of the individuals doing business together plays the key role in the long-term success of the business relationship. A person is who he or she is, not what they say they are. Conduct defines character, and qualities like loyalty, honesty, and resilience can overcome the day-to-day challenges and difficulties of the marketplace.”

Most Memorable Moment

“I have been exposed to some of the most interesting people and experiences I could have imagined. In particular I have had some fascinating experiences as CapitalSource has expanded into government security and corrections. For example, my day with the senior management team of Blackwater visiting their training facilities in rural North Carolina, my tour of the 10,000-inmate Philadelphia municipal jail, and getting acquainted with some of the senior officials of the Department of Homeland Security.”

How Things Have Changed

“The most significant change has been the growth in the scale and scope of the industry, especially since 9/11 and Katrina. The security business is now a $250 billion global industry being shaped by very powerful market forces - technology, government legislation and regulation, outsourcing, the globalization of the battlefield, traditional and international criminal activity, terrorism, emergency management of natural and medical threats and disasters, and the global capital markets. In many ways, the industry today is almost unrecognizable from the one I entered more than 20 years ago. The developments that have taken place the past eight to 10 years have opened up immense opportunities for security companies large and small.”

What the Future Holds

“I believe the valuations of security businesses will stay strong as more strategic buyers pursue a growing industry that held up well during recent economic turmoil. Convergence has been a catalyst for everyone to look at the industry in a much more expansive, creative way. I am confident we will continue to welcome into our ranks companies that would not necessarily be obvious players when thinking about the security. The ebb and flow of bull and bear markets will continue to inform financing and M&A trends, but maximizing customer retention while minimizing account creation and service costs will be continue to be timeless themes.”

Biggest Wish for the Industry

“The entrepreneurial culture of the industry has made it highly innovative and dynamic, but also very fragmented. Many electronic security companies remain relatively misunderstood by financial analysts because certain accounting rules make them difficult to compare to standard financial measures. If there were more large and well-recognized leaders at the top of the industry, I believe more people would identify the tremendous opportunities available to invest in and lend to this space.”

Why He’s on the List

More than 20 years of security industry debt and equity investment experience; involved in more than $1 billion middle-market financing transactions

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About the Author

Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher of Security Sales & Integration, directing all editorial aspects of the magazine brand in print, electronically, online and in person. The voluminous, innovative and award-winning body of work he has distinguished himself with since joining the publication in 1998 includes groundbreaking research, landmark features, leadership roundtables, high profile case studies, and many industry exclusives. Well versed in the technical and business aspects of electronic security (video surveillance, access control, systems integration, intrusion detection, fire/life safety), Goldfine is a nationally known figure in demand as an industry presenter and subject matter expert to mainstream media. He is responsible for developing many unique products and programs, including the SSI Industry Hall of Fame, Control Panel (industry’s first E-mail newsletter), Police Dispatch Quality (PDQ), Marketing Marvel, Installers of the Year, Integrated Installation of the Year, Security Industry Census, Systems Integration Study, Installation Business Report, Operations & Opportunities Report, Commercial End-User Study and Security’s Fantastic Fleets.
Recognized for his relationship building, integrity and lead-by-example ethic, Goldfine is a solutions-oriented team player who advises and collaborates with industry dealer/integrator, consultant, distributor, central station and manufacturer icons, luminaries and executive business leaders on a daily basis. He is also actively involved in several security events and organizations, including the Electronic Security Association (ESA), Security Industry Association (SIA), Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), False Alarm Reduction Association (FARA), PSA-Tec, SAMMY Awards, International Security Conference and Exhibition (ISC), Electronic Security Technology Summit (ESTS), Mission 500, Electronic Security Expo (ESX), ASIS Int’l, Honeywell CONNECT and other supplier conventions. Goldfine also serves on several boards, including the CSAA Marketing and Communications Committee and PSA Cybersecurity Advisory Council.
A certified alarm technician, former cable-TV tech, audio company entrepreneur, and lifelong electronics and computers enthusiast, Goldfine graduated with honors from Cal State, Northridge with a management degree in Radio-Television-Film. His professional media endeavors have encompassed magazines, Internet, radio, TV, film, records, teletext and books. Goldfine resides in the Charlotte, N.C., area with his wife, son and three cats.
Contact Scott Goldfine: sgoldfine@ehpub.com